but the other big obama prize is no spending cuts. i mean, a few republicans are going to give in on this position you have held for decades, what are you going to get in return for? remember that great "wall street journal" article where john boehner says, i'm putting all this revenue on the table. what am i going to get? barak obama says, you get nothing. i get it for free. that's what happened. >> brian: that's what happened so far. it's amazing because if the president actually wanted to balance the budget, he would be doing cuts. it doesn't seem like he's playing for the same goal as the average american, politics aside. >> we have one side that wants higher taxes and one side that wants lower spending. they're banging into each other. >> brian: thanks for coming in. >> thank you. >> steve: happy new year. >> brian: straight ahead, president obama wanted congress to get raises. but most americans think they're doing a very bad job. will lawmakers see more money in their paychecks? there is an update. >> steve: kind of a diplomay